Snow in Paradise

snow covered mountain
By Emma Grace Howlett ‘25 I was reading the dictionary the other day, and beside the word “paradise” was a picture of Pomona College. I saw Marston Quad’s expanse of emerald green lawn, dappled with shade from the white, wizened sycamores. I saw the deep purple irises and countless camelias tended with care by Pomona’s landscapers. I saw the snow-capped peak of Mt Baldy in t...
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Summits and S’mores

By Emma Grace Howlett ‘25 Sweeping mountain slopes glistening with snow, cascading waterfalls, and towering, flowering yucca plants. Bright orange Indian paintbrush flowers, majestic ponderosa trees, shady valleys, and clear amber streams. The San Gabriel Mountain range is within half an hour from campus and offers a breathtakingly beautiful respite from everyday college lif...
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Claremont FC: Building Community Through 5C’s Club Soccer

Emma Grace and a teammate smiling
By Emma Grace Howlett ‘25 There is perhaps no greater view on campus of the San Gabriel Mountains than from Pomona’s turf soccer field. During late spring nights, the snow-dusted mountains glow a dusky pink as the colorful sunset arches rosily across the sky. It is in this scenic setting that the 5Cs women’s club soccer team practices twice a week. Composed of students from ...
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Big Bear Snow Summit 101: Do’s and Don’ts

Bilal on slope holding snowboard
By Bilal Adamjee ‘24 Let it be known that until I went to Big Bear, I had only experienced snow once, and it wasn’t your typical Hollywood soft snow, but much rougher, frosty snow (the least of my complaints while 4,500 meters up Mt. Kenya, Kenya’s highest mountain, but that’s a story for another day). We’re fortunate enough that the 5C Ski and Snowboarding Club sponsors a c...
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Approaching Normalcy

icon for 5C friend is chicken with antlers
By Porter Reyes ‘25 Being a first-year at Pomona last year was weird. We were getting close to “normal,” but the pandemic’s effect on the first-year experience was tangible. This year, however, things are different for the new first-year class and the entire student body as Pomona approaches normalcy. Staples of life at Pomona, such as Orientation Adventure, cross-campus...
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Fall Break in Joshua Tree

Abby and 3 friends on boulders
By Abby Munson ‘25 This fall, I spent my midterm season thinking about Joshua Tree; the promise of Fall Break was the light at the end of a hectic week of essays and exams. With two extra days off class, some friends from my first-year sponsor group planned a camping trip at Joshua Tree National Park, which is only about an hour and a half away from campus. On Sunday afterno...
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First-Year Adventures in Southern California

In hockey arena looking down on rink
By Marc Beaulac ‘26 As a first-year, it has been interesting transitioning into independent life, especially as the plethora of activities that Pomona College offers keeps one in the 5C bubble. However, one of the elements I have appreciated the most is the activities that can be found in Claremont as well as the whole of L.A. county. During the relative peacefulness of f...
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The Glee of Glee Club

Emma under waterfall in blue swimsuit
By Emma Grace Howlett ‘25 Contrary to its name, the Pomona College Glee Club is not a club, nor does it perform elaborately choreographed musical numbers. A long-standing tradition for over 100 years, the Glee Club is the small college chamber choir, and performs an a cappella repertoire of music from the 16th century to the present. Somehow I worked up the courage to auditi...
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Making a “Home” at Pomona

5 students eating outside
By Arie Lewis Pugh ‘26 It’s the third week of school, and I’ve said the words “I’m Arie” more times than I can count. It’s strange meeting so many people and wondering which of them will feature in the memories everyone says college is about. In these first three weeks, I’ve tried my hardest to attend every event, dance, and group dinner in the hopes of finding “my people.” ...
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10 Favorite (Underrated) Spots on Campus

outdoor tables with sunshade
By Vids Hingad ‘25 We all know about Marston Quad, and Big Bridges and the Smith Campus Center. However, I wanted to share my personal favorite spots on campus. They are curated to give you a truly insider experience of Claremont’s most beautiful (and sunniest) places. Seaver Theatre roof It’s magical. That is how I will describe it. It feels like you have walked...
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